Shouldn't G.O.D. go? South/S. West Hospital Group CEO Gerry O'Dwyer should be sacked

Dunmoreroader

University Hospital Waterford has been starved of investment and run into the ground. We're all too aware of the scandalous inequality in hospital services we have to put up with here in Waterford and the Southeast generally. Here's a recent Examiner article on it:
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/widespread-concerns-waterford-university-hospital-is-being-left-behind-961311.html

Some might point the finger at the government and Simon Harris as Minister but UHW is controlled from Cork by the South/South West Hospital Group. It's not that they don't have money to spend, it's that the Lion's share is being spent in Cork. So for me the buck stops with it's CEO Gerry O'Dwyer (or GOD, as he seems to have become for cardiac patients in the SE)

WHY DO WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH IT?
If this was a private enterprise the man would have been sacked long ago for incompetence(neglecting 1/2 it's customers in the Southeast) or corruption(hoarding investment for his 'home' hospital to Waterford's detriment.
The government withheld funding from the FAI until they removed their CEO and instigated a reform programme; isn't the South/South West Hospital Group at least as important??
We know politicians of all class favour their own patch when in power but has there ever been a more blatant example of a senior civil servant acting in the same way.
I'm fed up marching down the Glen over this injustice, it's a disgrace and he should not be immune from censure.

Minister Harris, sack him and form a new board of directors while you're at it.

invara

Cork must go. We need a hospital group for the South East. Cork lacks the political maturity to adminsiter anything in our region- I would not trust them to share a packet of biscuts out.

GOD is a problem, but if he is move on another Cork-1st person will emerge. The change needs to be at group structure level. Kind of like the university issue, we need to stop asking for what we thing might be possible, half measures and ask for what is needed to solve the regional issues. A full hospital group for the 500k+ people of the SE, with a medical school is needed. That is what we should ask for.

DLS_75

My sister works for ucc and tells me that he’s retiring this year

Gardner

quick question regarding 24/7. how many people have died because of lack of 24/7? one case was to the forefront of the campaign but that was later to be proven that even having a 24/7 service wouldn't have saved the person. I'm not **** stirring btw. i think i can only think of one other person from the South Kilkenny area. be interesting to see the figures

invara

It is rarely possible to isolate a particular death to the absence of the service, as each individual presenting with a cardiac issue normally has co-morbidties (multiple complex acute and chronic medical issues). Statistically based on international whole country data sets it is likely that 6.3 additional deaths occour each year, this is at the lower end of the projection spectrum- this is based on time series data on when heart attack is noticed to receiving treatment. This tallies with what the professionals in the service thing is around the number.

Max Powers

invara wrote: »

It is rarely possible to isolate a particular death to the absence of the service, as each individual presenting with a cardiac issue normally has co-morbidties (multiple complex acute and chronic medical issues). Statistically based on international whole country data sets it is likely that 6.3 additional deaths occour each year, this is at the lower end of the projection spectrum- this is based on time series data on when heart attack is noticed to receiving treatment. This tallies with what the professionals in the service thing is around the number.

How many people died of a heart attack as they were not sure if they were having a attack, delayed whether to do anything and did not want to go to hospital as they knew it would mean an ambulance to cork, sounds mad to delay a decision like that but sometimes it may not be obviously serious until too late, but I know it has happened. There will be no stats on that.

hardybuck

I spoke to a GP in Wexford recently who half jokingly said if his patients were having a stroke he'd put them on a train to Dublin and ring the ambulance when they were halfway into Wicklow so that they'd be brought to Dublin!

If you think Waterford has it bad, the likes of KK and Wexford have it even worse. They're afraid of being brought to Waterford, and then being transferred to Cork, when Dublin is about an hour up the road.

Get the best health insurance you can afford is all you can do, and hope that you don't become suddenly ill. While the staff in Waterford are lovely, the hospital has an awful reputation among those in the industry.

barraseaclaid

At least the slaintecare report has done away with the ridiculous hospital groupings like south-southwest hospital group and Ireland east hospital group. This grouping had UHW and STGH aligned with CUH, Wexford aligned with Vincent's in Dublin and St Luke's Kilkenny with James

The hospital's in the South East are now moving back to a CHO structure with all UHW, STGH, WGH and SLHK together.

DLS_75

barraseaclaid wrote: »

At least the slaintecare report has done away with the ridiculous hospital groupings like south-southwest hospital group and Ireland east hospital group. This grouping had UHW and STGH aligned with CUH, Wexford aligned with Vincent's in Dublin and St Luke's Kilkenny with James

The hospital's in the South East are now moving back to a CHO structure with all UHW, STGH, WGH and SLHK together.

Has it yeah? Since when?

mart 23

barraseaclaid wrote: »

At least the slaintecare report has done away with the ridiculous hospital groupings like south-southwest hospital group and Ireland east hospital group. This grouping had UHW and STGH aligned with CUH, Wexford aligned with Vincent's in Dublin and St Luke's Kilkenny with James

The hospital's in the South East are now moving back to a CHO structure with all UHW, STGH, WGH and SLHK together.

The SE hospitals are in a group known as Area C which will also include hospitals from South Dublin and Wicklow covering a population of 900k.

Dunmoreroader

hardybuck wrote: »

I spoke to a GP in Wexford recently who half jokingly said if his patients were having a stroke he'd put them on a train to Dublin and ring the ambulance when they were halfway into Wicklow so that they'd be brought to Dublin!

If you think Waterford has it bad, the likes of KK and Wexford have it even worse. They're afraid of being brought to Waterford, and then being transferred to Cork, when Dublin is about an hour up the road.

Get the best health insurance you can afford is all you can do, and hope that you don't become suddenly ill. While the staff in Waterford are lovely, the hospital has an awful reputation among those in the industry.

You're kind of reinforcing the point I'm trying to make; UHW has not received the investment it should have as the regional acute hospital for the Southeast region. If it had, it would not be avoided by patients from the regional catchment area and would not have the bad rep you mention. Don't be making this a Waterford v Kilkenny or Wexford issue, we're all being fukced in the Southeast by the purse-string holder in Cork.
I don't care if he's due to retire, he should be dismissed now.
As for the new grouping with Dublin hospitals, it looks like out of the frying pan into the fire but that's another days work.
The scandalous under-investment over the past number of years in UHW is on Gerry O'Dwyer's watch.

azimuth17

hardybuck wrote: »

I spoke to a GP in Wexford recently who half jokingly said if his patients were having a stroke he'd put them on a train to Dublin and ring the ambulance when they were halfway into Wicklow so that they'd be brought to Dublin!

If you think Waterford has it bad, the likes of KK and Wexford have it even worse. They're afraid of being brought to Waterford, and then being transferred to Cork, when Dublin is about an hour up the road.

Get the best health insurance you can afford is all you can do, and hope that you don't become suddenly ill. While the staff in Waterford are lovely, the hospital has an awful reputation among those in the industry.

My understanding of the ambulance protocol around STEMI (heart attack) incidents is that the ambulance crew check with the PPCI centre re availability before bringing patient. If that is the case then your GP friend is incorrect.

Royal Legend

I know of someone in the city that had a heart attack on a Friday, was rushed to Waterford and put into an induced coma until the Monday, when the Cardiac team came back on duty.

You know an elections coming when people such as Cllr Cummis are announcing bull*** about funding approved for staffing the Hospice, funding for staffing the new CAT Lab and funding for a new mortuary,(no pun intended)

Gardner

Royal Legend wrote: »

I know of someone in the city that had a heart attack on a Friday, was rushed to Waterford and put into an induced coma until the Monday, when the Cardiac team came back on duty.

You know an elections coming when people such as Cllr Cummis are announcing bull*** about funding approved for staffing the Hospice, funding for staffing the new CAT Lab and funding for a new mortuary,(no pun intended)

Did medical professionals make that decision based upon the patient and the diagnoses or is social media diagnoses and self outrage? what do you work at yourself?

debok

Royal Legend wrote: »

I know of someone in the city that had a heart attack on a Friday, was rushed to Waterford and put into an induced coma until the Monday, when the Cardiac team came back on duty.

You know an elections coming when people such as Cllr Cummis are announcing bull*** about funding approved for staffing the Hospice, funding for staffing the new CAT Lab and funding for a new mortuary,(no pun intended)

Maybe that was safer than moving the patient to cork. Often they can't take the risk of the travelling and it's safer to stay where they are. The risk while being looked after in the cardiac care unit for the weekend by cardiac trained doctors and nurses was obviously seen as the best course of treatment.

Royal Legend

debok wrote: »

Maybe that was safer than moving the patient to cork. Often they can't take the risk of the travelling and it's safer to stay where they are. The risk while being looked after in the cardiac care unit for the weekend by cardiac trained doctors and nurses was obviously seen as the best course of treatment.

He was never moved to Cork as far as I am aware. he was treated/operated on in Waterford on the Monday.

Royal Legend

Gardner wrote: »

Did medical professionals make that decision based upon the patient and the diagnoses or is social media diagnoses and self outrage? what do you work at yourself?

You seem to have an agenda, I was making a point about someone I know who has gone through the system in Waterford.

debok

Royal Legend wrote: »

He was never moved to Cork as far as I am aware. he was treated/operated on in Waterford on the Monday.

Yes because there was obviously no need to move him once he could be treated in Waterford. Point I was making was it was safer to stay in Waterford surrounded by trained staff for the weekend than make an ambulance journey with ambulance crew and maybe one cardiac nurse .

azimuth17

The obvious point about cardiology at UHW is that if a STEMI (heart attack) patient needed to get urgent PPCI care at a time when the cath lab was not available here, then that patient would be moved to Cork. If a patient was held here then surely that was a professional consultant cardiologist's decision